Digging for Treasure

Bookh lounged in the water with her eyes closed, soaking in the hot mineral pool on the outskirts of Shattrath. The steamy water was soothing her aching muscles, but it could not soothe her frustration with her recent archeological pursuits. She had been inspired to try her hand at the new fad of archeology by several of her friends who had found valuable items. Unfortunately, most of the things Bookh had found so far were useless to her. Sure, the pet was cute, and the mount was nice, if a bit bony for long distance riding, but so far, she'd found none of the marvelous items of power she'd heard of others finding. Probably the only thing of value she had found was an ancient shaman's helm, but it held no interest to her. "I be wasting my time grubbin in da dirt like a bloody dwarf," she thought, annoyed.

Suddenly a soft sound caught her attention, and she opened her eyes to see a female draenei holding the helm and staring intently at it.

“Hey dere!” Bookh shouted, half rising from the water.

The draenei started, nearly dropping the helm, but she placed it carefully down on the pile of Bookh's belongings and backed away slowly. “No harm, no harm” she babbled in broken Orcish, and stopped, poised as if to flee.

Bookh eyed the youngster, and her rather ragged looking gear, and switched to Common. “Whatcha be doin lookin at my stuff, blue girl?”

The young draenai's gaze returned almost involuntarily to the helm while Bookh spoke, the longing in her eyes almost palpable, then she replied, her voice trembling.

“I meant no harm, Honored One. I felt the call of the spirits in your helm. It is an item of great elemental power. I am but a young shaman, but I sensed it strongly and it drew me here. I am a healer, you see, and I currently am helping at the orphanage in Shattrath. My name is Shaa'nar Ba'rishti - Blue Sun” she bowed respectfully to Bookh.

Bookh smiled, “I be a healer too, little Blue.” She paused a long moment, thinking. “I don't know all dat much about how da shaman types do yer healing. Would dis helm be of help to ya?”

Blue shook her head sadly. "As much as I would wish it, this helm would be more suited to more offensive spells. I dabble with them on occasion, but my heart is for healing."

Bookh looked consideringly at the young would-be healer, then nodded slowly.

 “I need ya to do somethin for me, little Blue.” Blue nodded emphatically, glancing at the helm again, then back at Bookh.

"Of course, Great Lady," Blue replied, bowing respectfully.

Bookh chuckled, a smile on her face. “My name is Bookh, little Blue. I need you to guard my belongings for a few minutes.”

“Of course, Honored One…ah, Bookh.” Blue smiled tentatively as Bookh turned to go.

Bookh shifted to her flight form and darted towards the center of Shattrath, to Blue's utter amazement. Blue spent the next little while in rapturous contemplation of the helm, glancing up every now and then to look for Bookh's return.

After a fairly short time, Bookh returned, a carrying a good-sized bundle. She placed it into Blue's arms, and chuckled at the stunned look on the shaman's face.

"Well open it, will ya?" Bookh prompted with a grin.

With trembling fingers, Blue unwrapped the package, to find a helm, shoulders, cape and chest armor perfectly suited for a healing shaman, fairly crackling with elemental power.

"These….are for me?" Blue asked, astonished. "But surely they are too valuable…" she dropped to one knee, still clinging to the gear as if to a lifeline, tears of joy beginning to form in her eyes.

"LIFE is valuable, little Blue" Bookh said quietly, but intensely. "I got a lotta respect for da Earthen Ring, and anyone who is as drawn to healing as you should have every help ya can get. Besides, I been diggin up so much trash lately, twas nice to do a bit of shoppin for someone who needed it."

"But….but….our peoples are enemies," Blue stammered, still clutching tightly to the precious bundle.

Bookh snorted softly. "I don't hold with blaming a whole people for da actions of a few hotheads. All races have good and bad folks in em, and not any one of em is better or worse." She paused for a moment, then her grin widened. "Matter of fact, I have a good friend, a Tauren, whose mate is Draenai like yerself."

Blue's eyes grew wide, "Truly? That is something i never would have imagined."

Bookh chuckled, " I don't tink Mato really expected it either, but dey do well together. In any case, use dese in good health" Bookh winked at the young healer.

Blue rose slowly, and somehow managed to bow deeply without dropping her precious burden. "I will never forget this, Honored Bookh. I will do my best to touch many lives with this healing power." She bowed again, and turned to go.

"One moment," Bookh interrupted, rummaging through her pile of belongings and remnants of her archeological explorations.  "Do you tink ya could use dese too?" and held up a set of oddly shaped wind chimes.

Both of them began to giggle…

'Family' Reunion

Bookh grumbled as she viewed the trampled grass in the Moonglade meadow. The Lunar Festival was over now, and the normal peaceful atmosphere had returned to the druid enclave. She hated the crowds that always invaded Moonglade during this festive season, and tried to avoid errands that would force her to endure the presence of so many strangers in what she had always considered a refuge from the outside world.

'Night elves are too welcoming for their  own good sometimes,' she thought wryly. Why, she’d heard they’d even given over part of their capital city to a ragged band of refugees from Gilneas. She snorted softly as she thought of the Worgen. If the elders of the Cenarion Circle were apoplectic about the revelation of Troll Druids, she wondered how their reaction to the Worgen Druids had been. 

Bookh’s reverie was interrupted by a quiet, slightly gruff voice.

“Excuse me, Lady. May I ask a question?”

She turned to see a Worgen, bowing respectfully to her. She frowned a bit in concentration, her gaze passing over the white streak in the younger Druid’s fur. There was something vaguely familiar…she shook herself and replied to the patiently waiting youngster.

“Do I know ya?”

“I am afraid not Lady. I have never seen a Troll Druid before. You are quite…intimidating.”

Bookh threw back her head and laughed heartily."Then ya must be a brave one to face one as terrifyin' as me.” Bookh mimicked a fierce growl, then laughed again and motioned the Worgen to come sit beside her.

“I never met a Worgen either, “ Bookh grinned as she looked at the feral form seated beside her. “Ya seem pretty fierce yerself.”

“Perhaps this will be less intimidating” the Worgen winked at Bookh with a twinkle in her eye, shimmered and reformed as a red-haired human female, still with that distinctive white stripe in her hair.

Bookh chuckled and nodded. “Ah, much better. I ‘ll not be tempted to flee in terror now.” She smiled at the younger Druid and asked politely, “So, what brings ya to Moonglade? Ya’ve missed the Lunar Festival, ya know.”

The younger Druid shuddered delicately. “I do not care for such crowds, for all their celebration. It is too hard on the surroundings.” She looked mournfully at the trampled grass in the meadow before her.

Bookh nodded in agreement

“So many memories,” the young druid murmured as she looked around, a wistful look on her face.

“Ah, so ye’ve been here before?” Bookh said, curiously.

The younger druid nodded.

“Aye, although my people were forbidden to leave Gilneas before the invasion, my desire for learning the druidic path was so great that my elders reluctantly allowed it, but only if I were sworn to secrecy.”

Bookh looked a bit puzzled, but waited patiently for her to continue

“I was sworn to secrecy, and heavily enchanted with enchantments that disguised me as a Night Elf. No one ever knew, not even my dear foster brother.” She chuckled wryly.
“I know he got frustrated with me at times, because those very enchantments caused me no little difficulty in spellcasting, specifically healing spells.” She sighed again. “It has been so long since I’ve seen him. I came here to try and find him, as we had lost touch. I want to show him how far I’ve come.”

A dawning realization swept over Bookh as she stared again at the white streak in the worgen’s hair. “Kit? Little Sister?”

Kit leapt up and took a step backward. “How do you know me? I have never met you before. Besides, no one has ever called me “Little Sister but….” Kit broke off as Bookh nodded slowly. “But…but….how?”

“You’d best sit down Little One, this is quite a tale,” Bookh chuckled and patted the log they had been sitting on. She quickly related the tale of her recent experiences, and the changes they had wrought. Kit sat there, dumbfounded for a moment, then moved to hug Bookh.

“Dear one, it seems the face of the world is not all that has changed. I am just glad to have finally found you again.” Bookh smiled and returned the hug.

“I want to hear all about yer adventures since we last met, Little Sister.  Come to my place and we can…oh” Bookh  paused a moment, a blush coloring her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Kit asked, concerned.

“Nothing wrong, just another…change,” Bookh paused a moment. “Ya see, I don’t live in Bloodhoof anymore. Remember my old friend Derrial? Well, we..ah….” her words stumbled to a stop and she blushed even more.

Kit threw her head back and laughed merrily. “Ah, I want to hear EVERYTHING!” she giggled and hugged her dear friend.

A New Twist

The loud knock was followed by the sound of his door being thrown open. "Old Troll, ya in there?"

Derrial chuckled under his breath, and then shouted, "Come on in Old Bull, no need ta break da door down, I'm in da garden"

Once the initial awkwardness of Bookh's change had sunk in, the two had fallen back into their close camaraderie, even to the use of their nicknames for each other. If they were in public, folks looked at them rather oddly when Derrial called an attractive female Troll "Old Bull" but the glint in her eye precluded any questions.

There was such a glint in her eye now. Derrial closed his mouth on the comment he had been about to make about where he should hide the bodies. His survival skills were intact, and he knew better than to irritate Bookh further with that look on her face. He put down the garden tools he had been working with and moved to grab a flagon of Darkmoon Special Reserve off the shelf as she flopped down in her favorite chair. He poured a couple of glasses, handed her one, and blinked as she tossed it down without flinching.

Sipping the potent brew carefully, he looked at Bookh. "Either dat was not da Special Reserve dey sold me, or sumptin' not so comfy is on ya mind."

She held out her glass wordlessly for him to refill it, and drank that one in a single gulp as well.  Setting the glass down on the worktable with a sigh, she turned to Derrial and met his curious gaze.

"Do ya remember me talkin about my old flame Bow?" Bookh's face showed a mixture of anger, upset and something else.

Derrial answered slowly, "Uh… Ya?"

"I ran inta her today in Orgrimmar." Bookh paused, a look of distress creasing her brow.

"Well, it is no uncommon thing for two ladies or two guys ta truly love each other. If ya feel sumptin' for her, don't be denying it ta yerself."

Bookh snorted. "Certainly not, Old Troll.  Dat part of our relationship died long ago. But what I found out today was…so had she."

Derrial squinted in confusion. "I think I missed a few words dere."

"She was killed early in the Northrend campaign, and she's a 'death knight' now." Bookh enunciated the words with distaste, almost making a curse out of them. Looking at the confused look on Derrial's face, Bookh tried to explain.

"I know as a priest yer comfortable with both shadow and light, but da death knight is a perversion of life, not its opposite. Life and its cycles are sacred to da Earth Mother, da Night Elves' Elune and even as I've begun to learn about da Loa of da Trolls, dere is a passing beyond, yet still a connection to da cycle. Da death knight bypasses all dat - steps outside of da cycles of life, death and rebirth, as it were - and to a druid it's an….abomination!"  Bookh's words grew more and more emphatic as she continued to speak, and the fierce look on her face made Derrial want to take a step backwards.

"Da death knights were created by, and fought on da side of Arthas." Bookh shuddered slightly in memory of the prolonged fighting in Icecrown Citadel. "Dere were a faction of them dat broke away, however, and fought against da Lich King, and Bow was one of dem. But dat still doesn't change…" Bookh's voice broke off and her head lowered for a moment.  When she raised her head, her eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

"We were children together," she said brokenly. "We grew up in Bloodhoof, played on da plains of Mulgore.  Fel, she was my first case of puppy love. And now…she's a THING!"  Bookh bowed her head again, and her tears began to flow.

Derrial's eyes widened in surprise. He'd never seen Bookh cry before or look so fragile. Without thinking about it, he went to her and gently pulled her into a hug, softly stroking her head and whispering soothing sounds.

Bookh gave a long shuddering sigh as she calmed, relaxing comfortably into his arms. After a time, she looked up at him, face still wet from her tears.

Derrial reached to wipe her tears away, hesitated, and then completed his action.

"So, Old Troll, where ya been hidin' dis sensitive side of yers?" she said, with a faint smile.

"Um… Well, I …" He smiled at his own fumbling words as her smile brightened slightly. "Oh, it's always been dere. It just takes a special lady ta bring it out."

She looked at him, the look on her face fleeting from surprise to pondering to smiling. Emboldened by her smile, Derrial leaned in and gave her a tender kiss.

"Well, dis is certainly a new development," she murmured.

"Shut up, Old Bull," Derrial whispered and then kissed her again.